Construction of a predictive nomogram and bioinformatic investigation of the potential mechanism of postoperative early recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma meeting the Milan criteria.

Background: Hepatectomy is the most common treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) meeting the Milan criteria; however, postoperative early recurrence (PER) compromises the survival time. This study aimed to construct a predictive nomogram for PER of HCC patients within the Milan criteria. And the underlying mechanism related to PER may associate with the independent risk factors used to construct the nomogram, therefore, we preliminarily investigated the potential mechanism of PER using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database to provide an idea for preventing PER. Methods: Patients with HCC meeting the Milan criteria receiving hepatectomy in our center between 2009 and 2015 were enrolled. The clinical and histological data of all participants were collected. Follow-up was performed at outpatient and PER was defined as recurrence within 2 years after resection. All participants were randomly assigned to the training or validation cohort at a 4:1 ratio. A nomogram was constructed based on the independent risk factors in the training cohort. The accuracy and clinical utility of this nomogram were evaluated using the C-index, calibration plot, and decision curve analysis (DCA). The differentially-expressed genes (DEGs) between early-stage HCC patients with and without PER in TCGA database were identified. Enrichment analysis was performed to determine the potential relapse-related mechanism. Results: The independent risk factors were alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) ≥400 ng/mL, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) ≥60 U/L, Glisson's capsule invasion, microvascular invasion (MVI), and satellite lesions. The C-index value of the nomogram was 0.693 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.632-0.754; P<0.001] in the training cohort and 0.658 (95% CI: 0.529-0.787; P=0.016) in the validation cohort. The calibration and decision curves demonstrated good accuracy and clinical utility of this nomogram respectively. 133 DEGs were identified and enrichment analysis showed the bile secretion pathway related to PER and two bile secretion pathway-related genes {ATP1A2 [P=0.027; hazard ratio (HR) =2.086, 95% CI: 0.916-4.749] and SLC5A1 (P=0.0016; HR =0.361, 95% CI: 0.145-0.898)} were significantly associated with disease free survival (DFS). Conclusions: Our nomogram has satisfactory accuracy and clinical utility in predicting the PER of patients with HCC meeting the Milan criteria. Aberrant bile secretion may be an important mechanism of PER.

Novel postoperative nomograms for predicting individual prognoses of hepatitis B-related hepatocellular carcinoma with cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: Liver cirrhosis is a well-known risk factor for carcinogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The aim of the present study was to construct individual prognostic models for HCC with cirrhosis. METHODS: The clinical differences between HCC patients with and without cirrhosis were compared using a large cohort of 1003 cases. The patients with cirrhosis were randomly divided into a training cohort and a validation cohort in a ratio of 2:1. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to reveal the independent risk factors for recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) in HCC patients with cirrhosis. These factors were subsequently used to construct nomograms. RESULTS: Multivariate analyses revealed that five clinical variables (hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg) positivity, alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) level, tumour diameter, microvascular invasion (MVI), and satellite lesions) and seven variables (HBeAg positivity, AFP level, tumour diameter, MVI, satellite lesions, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase level, and histological differentiation) were significantly associated with RFS and OS, respectively. The C-indices of the nomograms for RFS and OS were 0.739 (P < 0.001) and 0.789 (P < 0.001), respectively, in the training cohort, and 0.752 (P < 0.001) and 0.813 (P < 0.001), respectively, in the validation cohort. The C-indices of the nomograms were significantly higher than those of conventional staging systems (P < 0.001). The calibration plots showed optimal consistence between the nomogram-predicted and observed prognoses. CONCLUSIONS: The nomograms developed in the present study showed good performance in predicting the prognoses of HCC patients with hepatitis B virus-associated cirrhosis.

Cancer-Associated Fibroblasts Promote Vascular Invasion of Hepatocellular Carcinoma via Downregulating Decorin-integrin ß1 Signaling.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a common malignancy worldwide, and the high ratio of recurrence and metastasis remains the main cause of its poor prognosis. Vascular invasion of HCC includes microvascular invasion (MVI) and portal vein tumor thrombosis (PVTT) and is regarded as a common roadmap of intrahepatic metastasis in HCC. However, the molecular mechanism underlying vascular invasion of HCC is largely unknown. Here, we analyzed the transcriptomes of primary tumors, PVTT tissues, and tumor tissues with or without MVI. We found that extracellular matrix-related pathways were involved in vascular invasion of HCC and that decorin secreted by cancer-associated fibroblasts was gradually downregulated from normal to tumor tissues and more so in PVTT tissues. We also established that low-level decorin expression is an independent risk factor for MVI and it is associated with a poor prognosis. Decorin downregulated integrin ß1 and consequently inhibited HCC cell invasion and migration in vitro. Co-staining DCN and integrin ß1 revealed that DCN dynamically regulated integrin ß1 protein expression. Integrin ß1 knockdown significantly inhibited HCC invasion and migration, and decorin combined with such knockdown synergistically augmented the anti-metastatic effects. Co-IP assay confirmed the direct interaction of decorin with integrin ß1. Our findings showed that targeting cancer-associated fibroblast-related decorin is not only a promising strategy for inhibiting HCC vascular invasion and metastasis but also provides insight into the clinical treatment of patients with PVTT.

Communication Between Epithelial-Mesenchymal Plasticity and Cancer Stem Cells: New Insights Into Cancer Progression.

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is closely associated with the acquisition of aggressive traits by carcinoma cells and is considered responsible for metastasis, relapse, and chemoresistance. Molecular links between the EMT and cancer stem cells (CSCs) have indicated that EMT processes play important roles in the expression of CSC-like properties. It is generally thought that EMT-related transcription factors (EMT-TFs) need to be downregulated to confer an epithelial phenotype to mesenchymal cells and increase cell proliferation, thereby promoting metastasis formation. However, the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms that regulate EMT and CSC activation are contradictory. Emerging evidence suggests that EMT need not be a binary model and instead a hybrid epithelial/mesenchymal state. This dynamic process correlates with epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity, which indicates a contradictory role of EMT during cancer progression. Recent studies have linked the epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity and stem cell-like traits, providing new insights into the conflicting relationship between EMT and CSCs. In this review, we examine the current knowledge about the interplay between epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity and CSCs in cancer biology and evaluate the controversies and future perspectives. Understanding the biology of epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity and CSCs and their implications in therapeutic treatment may provide new opportunities for targeted intervention.

Zinc finger protein A20 inhibits maturation of dendritic cells resident in rat liver allograft.

BACKGROUND: In organ transplant field, although viewed traditionally as instigators of organ allograft rejection, donor-derived interstitial dendritic cells (DCs), including those resident in liver, or host DCs have also been implicated in transplant tolerance in experimental models. This functional dichotomy of DC is governed by various factors, the most important of which appears to be their stage of maturation. This study was designed to examine the effect of zinc finger protein A20 on maturation of DCs resident in rat liver allograft. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Allogeneic (Dark Agouti [DA] rat to Lewis rat) liver transplantation was performed. Adenovirus carrying the full length of A20 was introduced into liver allografts by ex vivo perfusion via the portal vein during preservation (group A20), physiological saline (group PS), and empty Ad vector rAdEasy (group rAdEasy) that served as controls. Acute liver allograft rejection was assessed, and DCs resident in liver allografts were isolated on day 7 after transplantation. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB)-binding activities, surface expression of costimulatory molecules (CD40, CD80, and CD86), expression of interleukin (IL) 12 messenger RNA (mRNA), and allocostimulatory capacity of DCs were measured with electrophoretic mobility shift assay, flow cytometry, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, and mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR), respectively. RESULTS: Ex vivo transfer of A20 adenovirus by portal vein infusion resulted in overexpression of A20 protein in liver allograft after transplantation. On day 7 after transplantation, histologic examination revealed a mild rejection in group A20 but a more severe rejection in group PS and group rAdEasy. DCs from group A20 liver allografts exhibited features of immature DC with detectable but very low level of NF-κB activity, IL-12 mRNA expression, and surface expression of costimulatory molecules (CD40, CD80, and CD86), whereas DCs from group rAdEasy and group PS liver allograft displayed features of mature DC with high level of NF-κB activity, IL-12 mRNA expression, and surface expression of costimulatory molecules (CD40, CD80, and CD86). DCs from group PS and group rAdEasy liver allograft were potent inducers of DNA synthesis and interferon γ production in MLR, and DCs from group A20 liver allografts induced only minimal levels of cell proliferation and interferon γ production in MLR. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that A20 overexpression could effectively inhibit maturation of DCs resident in liver allograft and consequently suppress acute liver allograft rejection.